In an age where one’s digital presence is more vital than ever, not having a website can be detrimental to a business. Websites have so much to offer that you and your business will miss out on so much when you choose not to have one.
In this article, we will look at why it is so important for you to have a website and how you can create an effective one for your company!
Don’t Have a Website?
Here are 5 things that won’t happen for your business if you choose not to have a website:
- Won’t appeal to a large audience
- Won’t look professional
- Won’t attract digital opportunities
- Won’t gain exposure easily
- Won’t have one concise place for all your information
It’s more important than many people realize. Let’s take a deeper look into some of the things you’ll miss out on without a website.
1. Won’t Appeal to a Large Audience
A huge part of growing a business is growing an audience and consumer base.. Customers are what make a business. Without customers, there truly can be no business, they are the backbone.
A website is essentially a foolproof way to ensure that you have the potential to reach the largest audience possible. Billions of people utilize and explore the Internet every day, and nowadays typically will discover companies and products through Internet searches, promotions, social media, etc. Especially now, with so many people spending most of their time at home due to the pandemic, it’s much more likely they will stumble across your website in their free time.
It can be exceedingly difficult to find companies outside of the digital realm other than through word-of-mouth or knowledge of a region. That is why not having a website results in missing out on numerous potential consumers. A website is only going to help you increase your audience.
2. Won’t Look Professional
Every business owner wants to come off as professional, right? It makes you and your company seem more appealing. Well, not having a website can actually make you look unprofessional. Let me explain.
Building a website takes a lot of hard work. Even if someone else helps you build it (such as TomKin Consulting), there is still a lot of time and money going into the project. Making the effort to construct and manage a quality website shows dedication to not only your company, but your customers as well.
People will have more respect for you and your business if it is clear that you are trying to make their experience and time researching your information enjoyable and easy. If they are having to put in extra effort and have to jump through hoops just to learn more about your business, they are going to get frustrated and may give up very quickly.
Use your website to show customers that you take your work seriously. Write clearly and in a sophisticated, professional manner. Make sure your site is reliable. Show that you can make high-quality content. This is how you can demonstrate to your potential or current clients that you are professional and worth their time and investment..
3. Won’t Attract Digital Opportunities
This one is a given, but it’s important, nonetheless. A digital presence is crucial in this day and age in order to gain a loyal customer base. Digital marketing is simply a necessity.
Websites on their own are incredibly important and beneficial, but they also serve as gateways to other digital opportunities, such as social media services. This includes:
- TikTok
- YouTube
Potential consumers, especially those in the younger generations, tend to gravitate towards and respect companies that grasp how to properly use and manage digital services. Learning how to utilize technology, the Internet, and social media properly shows that you are able to stay on top of new trends and will stay mindful of what people like at different times, which will make your content even more enjoyable to them.
4. Won’t Gain Exposure Easily
Truthfully, this point is very similar to the first, but it’s still worth discussing.
As mentioned above, having a website is a crucial way to reach the largest audience possible. Getting exposure on the Internet is incredibly important when it comes to building a successful business.
However, without a website, your ability to have your content broadcasted to other people is severely limited. It becomes extremely difficult to find any kind of audience, which means your business cannot grow. Not to mention that you won’t have any content for other websites or companies to hyperlink back to. These digital mentions connect people back to your site which will only result in you getting more exposure.
5. Won’t Have One Concise Place for All Your Information
Of course, one of the greatest things about having a website is having one concise place for everything your business consists of. Your website can include:
- A blog section
- Contact information
- An ‘About Us’ page
- Store
- Links to social media
- Examples of your content/work
…And much more
Customers, including potential ones, can simply look through your website for any information they may need to know about you and your company. However, without a website, customers would have to do unnecessary and frustrating searching and scouring to find that information. This would most likely cause people to turn away from your business, as they do not want to spend ages searching for essential and helpful information they could have found easily if you had a website.
How Do I Start a Website?
After reading this article, you may be compelled to make a website. But how? Where do you even start?
There are a couple of options.
Of course, you could choose to make your website on your own, from scratch. It is a difficult process if you do not have the experience, but, if this is what you prefer, it is still possible. Many people tend to utilize WordPress when creating a website. The service can seem daunting at times, so it’s typically a good idea to utilize tutorials on WordPress, YouTube, or teaching services, such as Skillshare to guide you.
However, a much easier, but still just as wonderful route, is having companies, such as TomKin Consulting, build a website for you! You can focus your time and efforts on brainstorming and working on other parts of your business while TomKin builds an original, unique, and high-quality website for you.
Do your research and make the decision that is best for you. Just remember that if the process seems overwhelming, there are people, like us, out there that are more than willing to assist you and make the website building process so much easier!
What Are Some Website “Essentials”?
Perhaps you are wanting to pursue the route of building your website on your own, you may be wondering what you should include on your website. While I had mentioned some website “essentials” in the fifth “Don’t” of this article, here are some other “essentials” for your website:
- Your goals
- Good visual design
- Frequent, good quality content
- Effective and true-to-company branding
- Social media integration
- Mobile-friendly version
- Clarity (you don’t want your website to look jumbled and be confusing-have a clear, pleasing website to look at)
Of course, there are many more things that could be considered “essential” for a website. However, every business and website are different, so different things will be considered “essential” for different people.
Once again, I suggest you do your research and decide what is best for you and your business. Also, it’s okay to try different things, and if they don’t work, then try something different. Success in any manner is simply a trial-and-error process, so don’t give up if something doesn’t work. Just make adjustments and try again.
Sources: Powered by Search, Axis Web Art, U.S. News